Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally apologised to Qatar during his US visit for the attack in Doha that targeted Hamas leaders.
According to reports, the apology was part of a larger deal aimed at pressuring Hamas to accept the Trump administration’s 21-point peace plan.
Netanyahu apologised for violating Qatar’s sovereignty with the Doha strike but did not express regret over targeting Hamas.
Netanyahu conveyed the apology in a phone call to Qatar’s Prime Minister from the White House.
The Doha attack killed a Qatari security guard, for which Netanyahu expressed condolences. In a recent interview, he said Israel’s sole target was Hamas and hoped for mutual understanding on the matter.
This marks the first publicly reported direct contact between the leaders of Israel and Qatar, though secret talks have taken place in the past.
Earlier, President Trump called the Emir of Qatar ahead of Netanyahu’s U.S. arrival to discuss resuming Qatar’s mediation role in the Gaza ceasefire.
